This invention relates to the capping of garden plants in early Spring to protect against frost and the support of garden plants through the growing season until harvest, additionally providing protection of garden plants from garden pests.
Gardeners desire to plant tender vegetables early, to gain a maximum growing season. Early planting brings with it the treat of frost. Gardeners protect their plants against frost by capping them. Most prior art caps are comprised of wire reinforced, waxed paper cones or double walled, flexible sheets of plastic, water filled cones or double walled, solid plastic water filled cones. We will refer to these prior art caps as traditional caps.
The paper caps loose effectiveness because of their fragile construction, they are crushed by spring snows or heavy rains and are blown away by modest winds.
The flexible plastic walled, water filled caps are ineffective because they are difficult and time consuming to fill. They are precarious to set around the plant and are easily knocked over by wind, pets or gardener. They are difficult to clean and are easily damaged.
The solid plastic walled, water filled caps are heavy and cumbersome to place, they are difficult and time consuming to fill. They are bulky to store and to many, perhaps most, gardeners, cost prohibitive.
Gardeners desire to support their vegetables to keep the crop off the ground and for the ease of harvesting. Most prior art supports are composed of sticks and string or welded wire racks. These racks are either cone shaped with prongs pressed into the ground or hinged sheets placed in triangles or zig zag formation. We will refer to these prior art racks as traditional racks.
The traditional racks are ineffective because they require regular attention from the gardener, to keep the growing vegetation trained inside or supported from the rack. The traditional racks are difficult to clear from the garden at harvest time, due to the vegetation entwined in the rack. After disengaging the vegetation, the gardener is left with an increased and time consuming mess to clean up
Gardeners desire to protect their vegetables from garden pests and find ways of economizing. Traditional caps and racks provide little or no protection from garden pests therefor fostering the over use of pesticides. Traditional caps and racks provide nothing to reduce the consumption of water and fertilizer.
Several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide a multi-purpose, single unit, garden accessory, serving as a vegetable cap and vegetable rack with garden pest protection capabilities.
(b) to provide a garden accessory, vegetable cap which:
(1) Is light weight easy to handle and rapidly deployed.
(2) has a large stabilizing base resting on the ground and is easily bermed.
(3) resists overturn from wind, pets and gardener.
(4) protects against spring frost, snow, hail and heavy rain, without gardeners attention.
(5) has opening at the top, allowing controlled ventilation.
(c) to provide a garden accessory, vegetable rack which:
(1) has prongs and tubular neck which fit around the plant and press into the ground then bermed.
(2) has a vertical cone containing the plant, causing vertical growth, without gardeners attention.
(3) has a broad rounded rim supporting vines laying over it undamaged, without gardeners attention.
(4) allows a season of vine growth before touching the ground, without gardeners attention.
(5) contains early crop within the cone and late season crop, hanging above the ground outside the cone.
(6) is an inverted cone collecting water and fertilizer and funneling them to the roots, resulting in less water and fertilizer consumption
(7) allows planting closer thereby using less garden space.
(d) to provide a garden accessory with garden pest protection capabilities which:
(1) has a tubular neck pressed into the ground around the plant, stopping burrowing pests like cut worms from approaching the plant.
(2) has a tubular neck pressed into the ground. Apply snail bait only around the neck instead of the entire garden thereby reducing substantial the use of snail bait and surface pesticides.
(3) has a rigid body, denying access of rabbits, quail and etc. to tender plants.
(4) has a rounded rim for ease of attaching netting, denying air born insects to the cabbage family of plants.
(e) to provide a light weight garden accessory which:
(1) raises and contains plant in early season allowing ease of weeding and reduced herbicide use.
(2) is an inverted cone when used as a rack and acts as a receptacle for fall clean up. Fold vines back into the cone then remove plant for disposal.
(3) is a solid cone design, easily hose washed and stackable for compact storage.